LA Weekly Source Material

Some reporters from the L.A. Weekly are known to call City Hall staffers and
whisper promises that they are working on articles that will carry a human interest angle,
then go the opposite direction in print. Earlier
this year, an undisclosed outside downtown council member staffer told me one such
reporter called around saying "No, really, this article isn't going to
be a 'hit job'. It's about what council people do in their off time."
That article ended up "Should L.A. City Council Agree to Slash it's $178,789 Salaries."

Now they have a lengthy article that's touted as another example of City Council's lack of transparency.